


Minor Miscalculation

by NeonKnight



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Don't Judge Me, Don't Read This, Eventual Smut, Feels, Help, I Don't Even Know, I'm Bad At Summaries, M/M, Multi, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Rare Pairings, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Sorry Not Sorry, The Author Regrets Everything, This Is STUPID, Time Travel, Timeline What Timeline, Uchiha Sasuke-centric, What Was I Thinking?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-09-01 05:53:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16759234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeonKnight/pseuds/NeonKnight
Summary: In an act of desperation in a doomed world, Uchiha Sasuke is sent back in time. Broken and alone, he must work to stop Madara at all costs.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Don't read this. Seriously. Don't. It's trash.

“Sasuke… it's over for me y'know? But you, you still have a chance. You can go back and change things. You were always way smarter than me. If anyone has a chance of stopping this… it's you.”

Naruto's breathing became more labored with each passing second. He was actually going to die. Sasuke had to watch his family die again.

He was so weak. He couldn't save Sakura, she had been killed weeks ago, protecting Ino from a blow that had been meant for her. Ino had completely given up after that. She had died two weeks later during a failed recon mission. 

All that remained of their rag tag group of survivors were Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Shikamaru, and Hinata. Everyone else they knew were long dead. After Kakashi's death by Obito's hand, they all knew it was a matter of time before they were killed too.

All they could do now in this ruined world was run until their end found them. It was over. Madara had won. There was no one left to stop him now.

Naruto weakly squeezed Sasuke's hand, bringing him back to the present. Hinata sobbed helplessly beside him, tears falling like a river from her remaining eye. She gripped Sasuke's other hand in hers like a lifeline. The boy they had both loved since childhood was dying right in front of them, and they couldn't stop it. 

“I think I could send you both back. I might have enough chakra left.” Naruto coughed wetly. The gruesome wound in his abdomen leaked more blood. Gods, there was so much of it. The dobe most likely only had minutes left since he no longer had the Kyuubi to heal him.

“No, Naruto-kun!” Hinata cried. “I refuse to leave you. I won't let you die alone.”

“Hinata…”

“I'm not leaving you!” She repeated with more ferocity. The war had eliminated any trace of the cripplingly shy girl from their genin days.

Sasuke wept openly beside her. He had grown closer to the Hyuuga over the course of this hell, and he saw her as much of a sister as he did his pink haired teammate. He would give his life to save her as readily as he would Sakura or Naruto. 

He silently applauded Hinata's devotion to his best friend. She would rather die with Naruto on the battlefield than go back in time to be spared of his fate. Sasuke would have done the same, but the moron didn't exactly give him a choice. Someone had to go back. Sasuke was the only one not injured enough to survive the trip.

“... Do it, dobe…” It wasn't fair that he was the one being sent back in time and not Naruto. If anyone deserved a second chance, it sure as hell wasn't Sasuke. He should be the one dying right now, with all the blood he had on his hands.

Naruto nodded, then activated the seal he placed on Sasuke a few moments after being mortally wounded. 

The jutsu was originally intended for Naruto. The Sage of the Six Paths had gifted it to the blond to fix this doomed world so this future would not come to pass.

Sasuke quickly let go of the hands of the only precious people he had left. He didn't want to accidentally drag Hinata back with him and rob her of her choice to stay. A small, eternally selfish part of him wanted to take her anyway, so he wouldn't be the only one who remembered what they've lost.

He respected Hinata far too much to do that to her. Maybe in this time, he could reach out to her as children. An Uchiha-Hyuuga alliance would do great things for what he needed to accomplish.

Sasuke didn't even have a chance to say goodbye before overwhelming pain consumed him, and he was ripped from this world.

  
  
  


Sasuke returned to consciousness in great pain. He was currently lying on his back in the middle of a crater that he had undoubtedly created. His body felt like he had fallen from the sky, and his head throbbed so bad he felt like it might explode. 

Back in his time, he was somewhere outside the borders of the ruins of Iwa. If he landed in the same place, he hoped that none of their shinobi found him like this. Konoha and Iwa weren't exactly on the best terms until the war brought all Nations together under one banner.

It wasn't like he was exactly battle ready right now. If enemy shinobi happened across him, it would spell certain death. How ironic would it be if he got sent back in time just to be killed the moment he landed?

His vision grew fuzzy and black at the edges. Perhaps he should rest more. He allowed his eyes to slip closed. He would try to figure out where he was when he wasn't hurting so much. Naruto wouldn't begrudge him that.

_ Oh Gods. Naruto... _

The next time he woke, it was to a warm hand shaking his shoulder.

“Hey, shinobi-san!” A male voice called. There was an edge of concern in his tone. “Wake up!”

Sasuke groaned. He wanted to slap the hand away and sleep more, but he couldn't move. The impact of landing in a new timeline did quite the number on his body. 

“Shinobi-san?” The voice grew an edge more worried. 

He didn't recognize the voice. Hopefully the shinobi who found him wasn't an enemy. He allowed his eyes to crack open.

“Oh thank goodness! He's awake.” Another voice, this one female, said with relief.

Sasuke groaned again. He hurt so much. If these ninja were merciful, perhaps they would kill him quickly.

Suddenly a spiky mop of golden hair entered his vision. Spots were still dancing in his eyes, so he couldn't see the face too clearly. The blond hair and endlessly blue eyes made his heart jump into his throat.

“Naru...to?” He croaked. Did Naruto somehow make it and go back with him?

The blond who might be Naruto drew in closer, leaning over Sasuke and invading his space. “Sorry, shinobi-san. My name isn't Naruto. It's Namikaze Minato.” His voice was gentle and sympathetic.

The man's face became clear when he leaned over. He indeed wasn't Naruto, but the teenage face of the Yondaime Hokage looked enough like the dobe's to hurt. Badly. It was almost akin to a sword through the chest.

_ Wait. If that's the Yondaime… He should be dead. Did the moron send me back too far? _

Sasuke struggled to sit up, gritting his teeth as his muscles protested the movement. Minato slid an arm around his shoulders to help him get upright. The Uchiha bristled under the unexpected touch, but the Yondaime made no move to release him. Definitely Naruto's father. He also had no respect for Sasuke's personal space.

He didn't want to look at Minato. Seeing his face opened wounds that were far too raw for Sasuke to manage. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He couldn't- 

The arm he failed to dislodge earlier tightened around him as he struggled for air. Tears fell freely down his face. He gasped in vain. What was happening? Why couldn't he breathe? Why couldn't Naruto be alive instead of him? Why couldn't he have died next to him? 

Sasuke's vision began to swim. Was he going to pass out?

Minato rubbed his hand up and down Sasuke's arm in an effort to calm him. He didn't want to be touched. He just wanted to die like he should have in the first place. Mission to save the world be damned. He saw with perfect clarity why Ino chose to give up after Sakura's death. A life without Naruto wasn't one worth living.

“Let me go!” Sasuke cried brokenly. He continued to gasp, edging on hyperventilating.

Naruto's dying eyes didn't leave his thoughts. That sight would haunt him for the rest of his days.

Minato didn't listen. Instead, he pulled Sasuke into a light embrace, running soothing fingers through his overlong hair. The Uchiha struggled futilely to free himself, but eventually gave in. He sat there and cried over his lost life and Naruto's death, too overwhelmed to feel embarrassed about his pathetic display. 

Finally after what felt like days, Sasuke calmed down. His breathing returned to a normal, albeit shaky rhythm, and no more tears fell. He freed himself from the Yondaime's embrace and moved as far away from the blond as his exhausted body would let him to get some semblance of his personal space back. He didn't need to be coddled like a helpless child.

The female accompanying Minato cleared her throat to get the men's attention. “Shinobi-san, can you tell us what village you're from? We'd like to help you get home if we can.”

The unspoken threat of “if you're not an ally of Konoha we're going to kill you while we have the chance” hung thickly in the air.

Sasuke needed to choose his words very carefully. If he outright told them that he was a Konoha shinobi, there would be no evidence to support his claim. Same if he told them that he was a missing nin. There would be no mention of him in the Bingo Book in this time. He could always tell the truth, but how would he prove it? How would he be able to ensure their secrecy if he were able to provide said proof? The less people who knew about his… operation the better.

A good shinobi needed to be able to think on their feet.

“I don't come from a village.” He lied. Technically it wasn't a complete lie. He was a missing nin before he joined the war effort.

“You're a missing nin?” Minato's brow furrowed in confusion.

“No. I wasn't born in a shinobi village. My parents were. They taught me what they could about shinobi arts until they were killed by a missing nin.”

“Do you know which village your parents were from, shinobi-san?” The woman pressed. Given the circumstances, Sasuke didn't blame her for her questioning. 

_ Here goes nothing. _ “My parents were from Konoha. They were members of the Uchiha clan.” He paused to gauge his companions’ reaction.

First of course was shock. It was written all over Minato's face. He looked so much like Naruto when he was confused that Sasuke was a hair's breadth away from another breakdown. The next was utter disbelief. Both shinobi balked when Sasuke mentioned his clan name. An Uchiha born outside of Konoha was downright ludicrous. The clan was far too protective of the Sharingan to allow that to happen. They could probably give the Hyuuga a run for their money when it came to paranoia.

“You claim to be Uchiha. Prove it.” The woman 

demanded.

Wordlessly he activated his Sharingan. He ignored the twin gasps as red enveloped his irises. That was all the proof he needed to back up his claim.

Minato chuckled nervously. “Well then, shinobi-san. Sorry. Uchiha-san, why don't you come back to Konoha with us? If nothing else, you could learn more about the clan your parents came from.” 

Sasuke took a moment to feign considering the offer. Konoha would be the best place to be while he figured out how to deal with Madara and the Akatsuki. He learned over the course of the war in his time that not everything could be accomplished alone. He finally saw Kakashi and the dobe’s views on the importance of allies. If he could befriend his parents, perhaps he could prevent the massacre from ever happening…

Now that the idea was in his head, he began formulating a plan to get the rest of the Uchiha to accept him. He was an outsider with a Sharingan. Uchiha blood or not, they wouldn't be too keen on him at first. Memories of Kakashi telling tales of how he got his Sharingan and the subsequent disdain the clan had for his former Sensei flashed through his mind. He would start with his mother. Growing up, she was always more reasonable than his father. If he got her on his side, his father would surely follow.

But how would he approach her? He supposed he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

“I accept your offer, Yon-Namikaze.” He had to stop himself from calling Minato the Yondaime. With how young the blond was in this time, and the jonin uniform, it was obvious that Old Man Sandaime was still the Hokage.

Minato's sunny smile made Sasuke's heart clench painfully. He wondered how long it would take to stop looking at the young Yondaime and think of Naruto. “You can call me Minato, Uchiha-san.”

“Hn.” He nodded his head in agreement. If he could get over his aversion to Minato, he would be the perfect ally to have. Having a future Hokage in his corner had many advantages.

  
  


Naruto struggled to breathe. He could feel his life slip away with every weak thump of his heart. It felt like his life force was ripped from his body as he watched Sasuke disappear in a flash of light. Chakra depletion was something he wasn't too familiar with, but it had happened before. This felt completely different, like his whole body was collapsing in on itself.

He never got to do the things he wanted to do. He never got to be Hokage. He didn't get to figure things out with Sasuke, or tell him how much he loved him before he disappeared forever.

At least he got away. He was safe now. That was all that mattered. Naruto had confidence that Sasuke could change the future for the better. The stubborn bastard just needed to have faith in himself and the people around him.

Naruto felt Hinata's hand on his own, the sharp pain traveling up his arm at the contact. He managed to lock his eyes with her only because she leaned over his body, pulling his hazy vision to see nothing but her face. She was crying, and her lips were moving but he couldn't hear her.

He tried to speak, to say anything he could to make this easier for her, but nothing would come out.

He wanted to tell her how much she had come to mean to him over the years. She had become someone irreplaceable and precious. He loved her. Which was confusing because he loved Sasuke too, but the love he held for the two wasn't the same. 

He just hoped that Hinata knew that. He hadn't exactly told her, but he tried to express it the best way he knew how.

He was so tired. He just wanted to sleep now.

He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. He guessed this was it. It was finally over.

The immense amount of pain he felt was beginning to fade to a strange numbness. He almost felt like he was floating. Maybe dying wouldn't be so bad after all. He could see his parents and friends again. The thought almost made him smile.

Naruto allowed the darkness to take him, and with his last breath he hoped that Sasuke would succeed...

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *emerges from rock* Oh boy. It's been almost half a year since I updated this. Sorry it's a lot shorter than the previous chapter, but I really wanted to give y'all an update. 
> 
> This is basically chapter 1 from Minato's point of view. 
> 
> Once again, it's unbetaed. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> This chapter is low key dedicated to a commenter by the name of Merllis. I saw your bookmark tag "If this doesn't update I will cry." Please don't cry. *Hugs*

Minato was certain that he was in the presence of a fallen angel. 

Lying in the middle of a large crater was the most beautiful creature that he had ever seen in his life. He came closer to the unconscious being not only to get a closer look, but also to make sure that this mystery person was still alive.

A pale face with delicate features graced his eyes as he knelt down beside them. He thought the person was most likely a young woman, for the face was far too pretty to belong to a man. Her full lips were parted slightly as she took distressed breaths, and her eyes shut tighter as if she were having a nightmare. Minato had the strangest urge to run his fingers across her cheek to comfort her.

The kunai pouch and katana made it apparent that she was a shinobi, but the lack of a hitai-ate made it impossible to determine where she came from. Maybe the woman a missing nin? The tattered clothing and battle wounds told Minato that she was in a fight and had most likely lost.

A light giggle behind him broke him from his reverie. “You're drooling, Minato-senpai.”

Minato's ears burned. “Shut up. I am not.” He turned his attention from the angel to the smug face of his teammate for this mission. Mayuri's eyes shone with mirth at her superior's expense. 

“Wait until I tell Uzumaki-san. She'll be livid.” Laughter crept into her voice at the thought.

Mayuri was not going to tell Kushina about this. His fiery best friend had a bit of a possessive streak, and she was absolutely terrifying when she was angry. She wasn't called “The Red Hot Habanero” for nothing. Mayuri may as well sign her own death warrant right now. Kushina didn't like it if another woman so much as breathed in Minato's general direction.

Without really thinking of the consequences, Minato reached out and gently shook the unconscious woman's shoulder. “Hey, shinobi-san! Wake up!”

“Senpai are you crazy?” Mayuri hissed. He just have her an 'I know what I'm doing’ look.

A low, male sounding groan ripped from the unconscious shinobi's lips. 

_ Oh. He's a man. _

Minato waited for the shinobi to wake up. He had no idea how long the dark haired man had been lying there, but Minato hoped that he would regain consciousness soon.

“Shinobi-san?” Minato shot a distressed look at Mayuri. She stopped her self appointed task of picking something out of her fingernail with a senbon and dropped down into the crater with him.

The unconscious nin slowly opened his eyes. Minato and Mayuri drew a little closer to either administer first aid, or attack if the situation called for it. The blond jonin didn't think that this mystery shinobi _ could _ put up a fight in this state, but better safe than sorry.

“Oh thank goodness. He's awake.” Mayuri breathed. Minato could feel his chest lighten. He hated seeing people hurt. Perhaps as a ninja his way of thinking made him soft, but that's just who Minato was.

Another agonized groan left the shinobi's lips. The poor thing had definitely been put through something terrible. Minato leaned over him, blue eyes meeting onyx. He tried to bury the part of him that felt like those eyes were the most beautiful ones he had ever seen.

_ Now is not the time for a sexuality crisis. _

“Naru...to?” The shinobi's low voice was cracked from pain and disuse. Minato's heart clenched. He didn't know who this Naruto person was, but he could only assume that he was the shinobi's companion. Since he was the only one in the crater, Minato was sure that this Naruto was dead. The poor man had probably mistaken Minato for him.

“Sorry, shinobi-san. My name isn't Naruto. It's Namikaze Minato.” He felt horrible for this boy. He looked a little younger than Minato, and the fact that he had lost so much so young was devastating.

When the shinobi heard Minato's voice, overwhelming hurt flashed through his eyes when he realized that Minato was indeed not Naruto. He had an irrational urge to find the shinobi's companion and bring him here so the younger man's pain would ease.

Minato slid an arm under the shinobi's shoulders as he attempted and failed to sit up on his own. The boy bristled under the touch, but Minato made no move to remove his arm.

The shinobi refused to look at Minato when he was in a sitting position. His breathing picked up, as he struggled to free himself. Minato held on. The boy looked ready to fall apart at any moment.

As if on cue, the boy's heavy breathing turned to ragged gasping. 

_ He's having a panic attack. _

Minato rubbed his hand up and down the shinobi's shoulder in an effort to calm him down, but it didn't appear to be working.

“Let me go!” The heartbreak in the mystery shinobi's voice was almost unbearable to hear. Minato didn't care if he didn't know this person. He just wanted to take his pain away.

Minato pulled the struggling teenager into a light embrace, and ran his fingers through long black hair. He could feel hot tears soaking into the fabric of his uniform shirt. He held on without speaking. The stranger needed to ride this out.

Mayuri remained still through the exchange, but Minato could tell that the pain of this total stranger was affecting her too. They may be ninja, but that didn't mean that they couldn't feel compassion. Mayuri was like Minato, it seemed. Far too soft hearted for her own good.

After five or so minutes had passed, the shinobi calmed down. He pushed at Minato to get him to release him, and this time, the jonin relented. Once free, the younger man scooted away from Minato with a slight hiss of pain.

Mayuri cleared her throat to get the shinobi's attention. “Shinobi-san, can you tell us what village you're from? We'd like to help you get home if we can.”

Minato watched his face as he contemplated his answer. From his hesitation, the blond wondered if this boy was from an enemy village. Perhaps he was from Iwa? That was the closest hidden village. Minato certainly hoped not. They would be killed if they even tried to help this boy get to the border. His heart sank at the thought of having to kill this stranger after all.

“I don't come from a village.” The boy finally answered.

Minato was confused. “You're a missing nin?” There was no shinobi in the Bingo Book that matched his description. Maybe he was a newly defected nin?

“No. I wasn't born in a shinobi village. My parents were. They taught me what they could about shinobi arts until they were killed by a missing nin.”

That was certainly uncommon, but not exactly unheard of. Shinobi across all five nations sometimes had defected or peacefully left their villages and lived among civilians. Or sometimes in the former's case, they lived in complete isolation. There were also rumors that survivors of village wide massacres like Uzishio would live on the outskirts of society hoping to never be found. By the boy's appearance, there was no way he came from Uzishio. Kushina always jumped on the chance to find other survivors of her clan, but always came back sadly empty handed.

“Do you know which village your parents were from, shinobi-san?” Mayuri wondered. Maybe if this stranger was amenable, he could just come back to Konoha with them. Minato tried not to get his hopes up.

Another pregnant pause hung in the air before the shinobi finally responded. He locked eyes with Minato as if to gauge his reaction. “My parents were from Konoha. They were members of the Uchiha clan.”

_ That's impossible… There's no way.  _ Minato shared a look of shock and disbelief with Mayuri. That was a very unexpected and bold claim. The Uchiha would never allow its members to leave the village. He was lying. He had to be. There was no record of any Uchiha defecting from the village that Minato knew of, at least. It just didn't happen.

Mayuri narrowed her eyes. “You claim to be Uchiha. Prove it.” 

The shinobi's eyes changed from onyx to red. Three black tomoes spun lazily in each iris. That was the Sharingan. The boy  _ was  _ telling the truth. But… how?

Minato let out a nervous chuckle. Uchihas were dangerous. He knew better than to mess with one. This boy could probably kill him with a blink if he wanted to. “Well then, shinobi-san. Sorry. Uchiha-san, why don't you come back to Konoha with us? If nothing else, you could learn more about the clan your parents came from.”

The Uchiha took a moment to consider. He sat incredibly still as the red in his eyes faded back to black. “I accept your offer, Yon-Namikaze.” 

Minato ignored the slip of his name and grinned happily. He was glad that the Uchiha was accepting. He may have lost his old home, but Minato hoped he could find a new one in Konoha. The Sandaime would be glad to have another Sharingan user in their ranks.

“You can call me Minato, Uchiha-san.” He sincerely hoped that he and the Uchiha could become friends. Minato may not have known him for long, but he wanted to be part of the boy's life. It was strange.

“Hn.” Came his monosyllabic reply. Oh that wouldn't do. Minato would learn his first name before they got back to the village.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the overwhelming amount of support and love. I had no idea that so many people liked this pairing as much as I do. *Hugs and love to all of you*
> 
> I made a discord server if anyone is interested in joining! It may help break me of writer's block if I can bounce some ideas off.
> 
> https://discord.gg/3hvjdp

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if I will ever update this. I just wanted to get the idea out of my head.


End file.
